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Post by Riley Neves on Nov 26, 2011 1:13:03 GMT -5
"Okay, come. I'm not fighting you," Riley said, in a way negating those very words, though it was unintentional. She was glad that he wanted to have an active role in this pregnancy, and she understood that it must have been hard on him, missing so much of it. And, she supposed, knowing another man that she had history with, albeit an innocent one, had been there for everything he missed.
So she was impressed when he didn't put up a fight about asking Geoffrey to be the baby's Godfather.
But Riley was quiet on the subject, suddenly. Yes, Hayden would be honored to be asked. She wasn't sure that Geoffrey, right now, would see it as an honor instead of an obligation. "Right. Anyway, I think I'll wait a while to ask him. And you should be there. And I'd like to be there when you ask Hayden."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Nov 30, 2011 21:52:28 GMT -5
It was an instinctive thing by now; Roland could always tell when something was troubling her that she was keeping inside. He also knew not to push it or try too hard to "fix" it, although that last part was still a bit of a challenge for him. He was a man, and his usual response to a problem was to try to fix it. Somehow, though, this instinct often seemed to annoy Riley or make things worse. It confused him and frustrated him at times, but he was trying to adapt.
What usually worked in this situation, was for him to simply let her know that he was here for her, and to offer to support her in whatever way she needed. He figured that she was worrying about Geoffrey, but he didn't want to push her to talk about it, so he just offered her his help in the most simple way he knew--he took her into his arms and kissed her softly.
"He'll come around," he told her. "He's got a great family to support him, and he'll pull out of it. Just give him time. I'm sure he'll be glad to be the baby's godfather."
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Post by Riley Neves on Nov 30, 2011 22:40:51 GMT -5
"Yeah... But what if he's not? Honored, I mean." Riley looked up at Roland, her eyes big. It definitely wasn't a concept she had considered before. But based on the last time she saw Geoffrey, she was beginning to think this might be the case. Her best friend might see being the baby's godfather as a burden or an obligation. Even if she waited a long time to ask him... She didn't know that it would make a difference.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Hormones suck. Are you hungry? I didn't make anything, but we can order in."
She was changing the subject, something she had become adept at. It wasn't really something Roland could fix. But his kiss did calm her down.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Dec 5, 2011 0:15:44 GMT -5
"Whatever Geoffrey is going through right now, he couldn't possibly hold it against the baby," Roland said calmly. "He's mad at me... and he's upset at you, but our baby is innocent. I don't think he would turn you down for that. And even if he's not thrilled now... I really think that if you give him time, he'll come around."
Roland hadn't told Riley about the last time he had seen Geoffrey. He knew better than Riley did just what was bothering his cousin. In addition to the after effects of the curse and everything that had happened with the "fake death," Geoffrey was jealous. He had realized how deep his feelings for Riley really were, and that it was too late for him. If Roland had been in his place, he might have reacted the same way.
"I'm not starving, but we can order out if you want." He would have liked to cook something for her, but he still couldn't seem to cook much more than eggs and pasta.
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Post by Riley Neves on Dec 26, 2011 13:42:55 GMT -5
This would all get better, she told herself. They would all come around, eventually.
She met Roland's eyes, though she said nothing. She didn't want him to feel bad, but his plan... no, their plan. She went along along with it and she helped. She was as much to blame as Roland was. Their plan had done more damage than good, she thought. But everyone just needed time.
"I love you," she said softly, forming a smile before she pulled away to look at the menus they collected. Most of them were from Roland's bachelor days. Yes, she was trying to be strong again, but she needed time, too.
"I'm going to wait a while to ask Geoff. And like I said, I'd like to be there when you ask Hayden. How does Chinese sound?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Dec 27, 2011 1:29:38 GMT -5
There was no way of knowing how things could have turned out if they hadn't gone through with the plan. The situation had been dire, and Roland had learned not to underestimate what Blake might do. Roland had sworn to protect his family, and while he had protected them from Blake, he had failed to protect them from himself. He'd wound up hurting them, instead of Blake doing it. And maybe, in a way, that was Blake Malfoy's final revenge.
But none of this mattered now. It didn't do any good to regret the past, because it couldn't be undone. They would just all have to deal with things as they were and try to put the pieces back together again. In the end, he hoped it would all be all right.
"I love you, too," he said with a smile, watching her.
Sometimes he wondered what she was thinking about when she smiled at him like that. It seemed like a secret sort of smile, a promise between them that was never spoken, but always implied. The scene felt so normal and domestic and perfect, the two of them together, and it made him ache just a little, but in a good way. How had he ever thought that he didn't want this?
"Chinese sounds good," he said. "I think I have about half a dozen Chinese menus, but the best one was Bamboo Palace, I think."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 3, 2012 1:47:20 GMT -5
"Bamboo Palace it is," Riley murmured, shifting through the menus until she found it. It had a crude sketch of a panda bear on the front, and Riley made a face at it, giving Roland a sidelong glance before unfolding the thing.
None of it sounded that great, if she were honest, but walked back towards Roland while leafing through it. "I think I'll just stick with the spring rolls," she decided, handing the thing to him, folded over to the page with what few vegetarian options they had, while she reached for the telephone to dial the number.
After she placed their order and Roland told her what he wanted, she hung up, holding onto the phone for a moment. She really wanted to keep feeling lazy and secluded, but she couldn't do it. "Maybe we can go out for ice cream later? A little fresh air might do me well."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 10, 2012 0:10:57 GMT -5
Roland made a point of ordering more food than he needed, in the hopes that he could get her to eat more than spring rolls. He knew better than to force the issue, of course, but she really needed to eat more. She was starting to show a little, but somehow she was actually looking thinner to him. It worried him, not just for the baby's sake, but for her own.
But Roland had learned not to let on to Riley that he was worried. He just did what he could, and made it clear to her that he was there for her, no matter what.
"That sounds great," he said, pleased that she was interested in going out. He wasn't sure he could count on it actually happening, but he definitely wanted to encourage it. "Whatever you want to do."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 26, 2012 22:47:51 GMT -5
It had also become something of a tradition or a habit really that Roland would over order, and Riley usually picked up what he left on the table. She knew she was supposed to start getting cravings soon, but that hadn't set in yet. For now, she just knew when something didn't sound good. She suspected that whatever the books said about pregnancies wouldn't apply to her.
"It's just starting to get so nice these days, a walk in the moonlight could be nice. We'll see if we are too full from dinner."
She finally set the phone back in its cradle and came back over to her fiancé. They would have to start planning that wedding as soon as the baby was born. Godric....
"And," she said, sitting in the couch, folding her legs under her. "It's probably time to see your mother."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 1, 2012 1:39:08 GMT -5
"That sounds good," Roland replied. "A little walk would be good for both of us. I don't think either of us are ever going to be too full from dinner."
Neither of them were big eaters, and Roland didn't think that would change for a while. He just hoped their child, when he or she was born, would have a better appetite than they did.
"We'll deal with Mum soon," he promised. "When you're ready. Do you want anything to drink?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 6, 2013 2:25:13 GMT -5
Riley reached for Roland's hand, hoping to catch his attention.
"No. We need to see your mum soon. Tomorrow, maybe. I know it's important to you." She was subtly trying to tell him, too, that if they didn't do this soon, she was going to scare herself out of it. From what Roland said, Cara was not going through an easy time, even with Roland back, and she blamed herself for that quite a lot.She shouldn't have kept this a secret from his parents. She needed to apologize for that, and she needed to make amends with Cara. The woman was about to have a second grandchild, after all, and Riley didn't want distance between the baby and its grandmother. She didn't want Roland to have to choose which family he stayed with.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 3, 2013 23:29:32 GMT -5
Roland squeezed her hand, leaning in to kiss her. "I love you for trying to keep the peace with my family, but I know you're not ready yet. Besides, tomorrow is too soon. We can't just drop in on my mother without giving her some kind of advanced notice. You remember how she was at Christmas, and she'd had weeks to plan for that. She'll want everything to be perfect."
But she was right that they shouldn't delay it much longer. Roland usually favored the "pull off the band-aid" approach when it came to these sorts of things. Delaying the inevitable only made things worse. And he really did want Riley and his mother to get past this. They both meant the world to him, and he wanted them to love each other as much as he loved them.
"I'll tell you what, though. If you're serious about doing this soon, we can do it this weekend. That will give my mom a few days to get ready. And I'll write to her right away so you won't be able to back out. How does that sound?"
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